Molding-machine.



H. TSCHERNING.

MOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION H LED 11111124.1911.

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MOLDING MACHINE.

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MOLDING MACHINE.

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MOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION F:LED1uLY24.1911.

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H. TSCHERNING.

MOLDING MACHINE.

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H. TSCHERNING.

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H. TSCHERNING.

MOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1911.

"Jl 9 Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

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H. TSCHERNING.

MOLDING MACHINE.

AP-PLICATION FILED JULY24.I9I1.` 1 1,155,019.. 1 Patented sept. 28, 1915.

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MOLDING MACHINE,

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H. TSCHERNING.

MOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED IuLY24. 1911.

l 55,0 1 9.. Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

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H. TSCHERNING.

MOLDING MACHINE.

Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

APPLICATION FILED JULY24 19H.

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MOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION HLED1uLY24,19u.

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Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

H. TSCHERNING.

MOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION F:LEDJULY24.19|1.

Lllw., Pafemedsepf.. 28, v1915.

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MOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED IuLY24. I9II.

Lw., Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

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, narran sraans ramena onirica.

HENRY TSCHERNING, OF FREEPOBT, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TOARC.ADE MANUFAC- TURING COMPANY, OIE FREEPORT, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MoLDING-MACINE.

Specication o ers Patent. Pai-,entail Sept, 28, 1915.

Application filed July 24, 1911. Serial No. 640,185.

To all 'whom t may concern.' A

Be it known that I, HENRY TSCHERNING, acitizen of the. United States, residing at Freeport, in the county of Stephenson and State of Illinois, have invented a newv and useful Improvement in Molding-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

4My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in molding machines, and is fully described and explained inthe specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved device; Fig. 2 is an end view looking from the left of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a longitud inal section through the hopper; Fig. 4is a front elevation of the upper portion of the hopper, showing the sieve actuating mechanism; Fig. 5 is a view of the grate and its operating mechanism; Fig. 6 is a transverse section showing the grate -bar operating mechanism; Fig. 7 is a detailed elevation looking from the left in Fig. 1 of the lower portion of the machine; Fig. 8 is a horizontal section on the line 8 of Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a detailed elevation looking from the left in Fig. 1 of the part shownl in Fig. 8; Fig. 9 is a horizontal section through those parts of the squeezing lever shown in Fig. 9, or in other words it is a projection of those parts which in Fig. 9 are shown immediately below it. Fig. 10 is a vertical longitudinal section showing the strike-olf mechanism' and adjacent parts, that is, the right-hand portion of the mechanism shown in the lower part of Fig. 1; Fig. 11 is a top plan 0f the part shown in Fig. 10 with the strikee olf removed; Fig. 12 is a section on the line 12 of Fig. 10; Fig. 13 is a transverse section through the head showing its operating mechanism; Fig. 14 is an under plan of the head; Fig. l5 is a section on the line 15 of Fig. 14; Fig. 16 is a horizontal section on the line 16 of Fig. 1; Figs. 17 and 18 'are plans through the mold-carriage moving mechanism with the carriage proper removed showing the parts in two different positions; Fig. 19 is a transverse section in the plane 19 of Fig. 17 but with the carriage proper in place; Fig. 20 is a longitudinal section in the line 21 ofV Fig. 19, showing, however, only the carriages and tracks therefor; Fig. 21 is a section on the line 21 of Fig. 19; Fig. 22 is a section through the grate-bar operating piston and adjacent mechanism, the section being'taken in the line 22 of Fig. 5; Fig. 23 is a longitudinal section through the head showing the position of the rapper; Fig. 24 is a .section through the rapper and Fig. 25 is a diagrammatic perspective illustrating certain of the air-connections of the device and the valves and mechanism by which they are set 1n motion.

Before proceeding to a detailed description of the various mechanical features of the machine herein shown, I shall first set out by way of general introduction the mode of operation, to the end that as the several parts are more specifically described, their purposes and modes of operation may be apparent. i

The molding device proper is of the ltype having a revoluble head which carries pattern plates usually in the form of match' plates. The flask or flasks are placed upon this revoluble head and filled with sand,

follower boards are then placed thereupon' and the head is inverted and pressed down upon a suitable platform, thus compressing the contents of the flasks. IVhen the head is inverted the flasks are held in position by clamps which release themselvesautomatically after the squeezing operation, so that when the head is raised, the flasks will be left upon the platform. The platform is then moved forward to bring the flasks from beneath the head into an accessible position and the flasks are removed and carried away. With this very general statement of the kind of a molding machine proper which is used, a more detailed statement of the operation can be made setting forth the entire cycle of operation. Above the head is a sand container into which sand is constantly carried by means of an elevator and from which it can be discharged by the operation of a suitable grate-mechanism atthe bottom of the container. The sand falls through a distance of about four feet so as to receive an initial compression in accordance with the method of P atent No. 887 ,415,

thepresent machine being an improvementthel usual manner. A strike-E device is then brought forward over the head immediately above the upper face of the flasks.

The strike-off device is in the form` of a hollow-rectangular frame, the upper edges of which flare like a hopper so that the sand falling from the container through the grate is guided by this strike-off device into proper tainer.

position and is kept from spilling upon the adjacent mechanism. The strike-off is moved forward through the means of an air-pressure cylinder under the control of a suitable lever. WVhen the strike-off device has been properly positioned, another lever is pulled by the operator and the gratel mechanism is set into `aperation so that the sand showers down in its finely divided condition, filling the flasks. The strike-0H is 4then retracted, scraping the top of the sand in the flasks to a smooth surface and sweep- -ing any excess of sand linto the path of the conveyer or elevator to return it to the con- After the retraction of the strikef off the follower boards are put upon the flasks',A the flask-clamps are adjusted and the `head is inverted. The main squeezing'lever of the machine is then grasped by the operator and the head is brought down to press the flasks, now in inverted position, against the .platform provided to receive such pressure. This compression imparts, vof course,

Vthe necessary coherence tothe sand in the flasks. `At the very end of the descent of the head a compressed air rapping 4device which is carried by the'head is set into operation so that the jar is imparted to the pattern thereby which, in accordance with common practice, is imparted by tapping the pattern yor pounding the head with a maul. The rapping device operates during all of the timewhen the head occupies its extreme lower' position and therefore continues to operate during the commencement of the draw of the pattern with most desirable results.

At the same time when the rapping takes place, the flask-holding clamps automati# callyy release 'themselves leaving the flasks resting free upon the platform, so that the head-may be raised. At the close of the rise of the head, an air-valve is opened letting pressure into a` cylinder which moves the lever is operated for the neXt operation, it

simultaneously' lets air into .the opposite end as a member of Aa hoe.

of the platform-actuating cylinder so as to return the platform to position ready to receive the pair of flasks.

It will thus be understood that the machine is largely automatic in its mode of operation. Hand-pressure isused for the actual squeezing4 of the sand because it is found that this is an operation in which the personal element ought to enter. Some flasks require more pressure than others and the operator can more satisfactorily perform this work. The remaining operations succeed each other automatically as far as it is practicable but the operations are interrupted at such points as the action of the operator must occur.

Having thus set forth by way of intro-- duction a general mode of operation, the detailed construction can be taken up.

Referring to the drawings, A is an endle'ss chain conveyer which provides for pockets of a usual sort, the same passing at its end about shafts a, a1 at the top and bottom respectively. Sand is supplied to the lower end `of the elevator A by a conveyer A1 which consists generally of a trough above which is mounted a reciprocating bar a2 having pivoted upon it paddles a3 which can be swung upon their pivots in the direction in which the sand is moving but not in an opposite direction. These paddles willthus by their reciprocation gradually advance the sand along the trough to the lower end of the elevator A, each paddle acting The bar a2 is hung upon suitable links and is reciprocated by crank-motion as fully illustrated in Fig. 1.

No novelty is claimed in this form of conveyer, it is therefore not specially described.

The sand from the elevator is dropped upon a sieve B. This sieve is reciprocated by the mechanism shown in Figs. 3 and 4, from which it will be seen that the Sieve is attached to the ends of radial arms b upon a rock-shaft l, another radial arm b2 upon said rock-shaft being pivoted at b3 to a link b4. The link b4 is pivoted to a link b5, the

opposite end of which is mounted upon a.

stationary pivot. The `common pivot between the link b4 and ,b5 has pivotally connected to it the lower end of another link Zi, the upper end of which is connected to a crank 67, fast on the end of the shaft a.

By this mechanism` the sieve is given twov complete reciproca-tions for each turn of the crank. That is, when the loweriend of the link In falls from the position shown in Fig. 4 to its lower limit (that is in half the turn ofthe crank) it passes the line connecting the pivots of the links b4 and b5, thus forc- .ing the pivot b3 to the left, as viewed in Fig.

4, and .again drawing it to the right.

The sand after passing through the sieve l B falls into the sand receptacle C and rests upon the two pairs of grate-bars c, c1 (Figs.

3 and 5) which are hung upon links and are relatively movable in an ordinary way for the purpose of permitting the sand to pass between them. rlhe mechanism by which the grate-bars are regularly oscillated is. shown in Figs. 3, 5, (S and D is a cylinder containing a piston Dl and above this cylinder is a valve-chest D2 which receives at its center air under pressure from a pipe D3. A Avalve-rod D4 lnoves in the valvechest and has upon it two valve-pistons D5. Forts D connect the valve-chamber with the ends of the cylinder D. rl`he piston D1 is connected t-o a piston rod DT, upon which are collars DS adapted to strike the end of a lever d pivoted between its ends and having its opposite end connected to a valvestein Z1 movable in the valve-chest Z2 supported by a secondary cylinder d in which secondary cylinder is a piston (Z4 fast on the end of the valve-stem D?. The valve-stem (Z1 has upon it a valve-piston {,Z which controls ports c leading' to the secondary cylinder from its valve-chest. The valve-chest (Z2 receives air from a pipe ZT and air is admitted to said pipe D3 and Z7 by the action of a valve D9 which, through the medium of suitable links, is controlled by the sand-dropping lever D10 (Fig. 2). The operation of these parts will be evident from an inspection of the drawings.

Then the sand-dropping lever D10 is op-v erated air will enter one end or the other of the cylinder D, depending upon the position of the valve-rod D4, and by its action upon the piston D1 will force the piston-rod D7 toward the opposite end of the. cylinder until one ot' the collars Ds strikes the lever (l upon which event the valve-stem Z1 and the valve-piston (Z5 will be shifted in the opposite direction` Air will then enter that end ot' the cylinder (Z3 which will force the piston d" and the valve-stem D4 in a direction to cause the air to flo-w into the opposite end of the c vlinder D from that into which it first commenced to flow. This will, of course., drive back the piston 'D1 until the other collar Ds strikes the lever l shifting it back toits original position. rlhis shift will, in an obvious manner, cause another reciprocation of the piston Dl. Through this mechanism, then, the piston-rod DT is rapidly oscillated in opposite directions. The piston-rod DT is connected by a link D with a radial arm upon a rock-shaft D12. The rock-shaft D12 has, projecting in opposite directions from it, radial arms D15 D1, connected by links D1, l)14 with the two series oi' grate-bars, the connection being made through the pins (Z8. The oscillations ot' the piston-rod DT are thus transformed into rotary oscillations of the shaft Dl2 and this in turn into simultaneous'opposite reciprocations of the two series of grate-bars. The result is that as long vas the sand-dropping lever is held in position to admit air into the cylinders described, the grate-bars will be rapidly reciprocated in opposite directions and sand will fall in an even steady stream and with great rapidity.

In order to prevent the sand which, under normal conditions is prevented from falling between the grate-bars only by its own cohesion, from being jarred down at inconvenient and inopportune moments, the bottom of the receptacle below the grate-bars is normally closed by a guard E (Figs. 2 and 3) in the Yform of a plate pivoted at the front edge of the receptacle. The pivotal support of this guard E is connected to a radial arm e (Fig. 2) attached to which is a link el at the rear end of which is an elongated slot running upon a pin in the sand-dropping lever D10; The result is that the initial movement of the sand-dropping lever causes the guard to lower into a vertical positionrwhere it will be out of the path of the sand and will at the same time prevent the sand from being spilled forward out of the machine onto the platform, which, at the time the sand commences to fall, is just moving backward to its no-rmal position. When the sand-dropping lever is released, owing to the lost motion caused by the slot in the link el, it will lirst turn off the air and then at the end of its movement swing the guard back to its original position.

F and F1 are two head-supporting crossheads vertically movable upon o suitable cross-head guides as illustrated. lF2 is a head journaled between said cross-heads and comprising Ylongitudinally-eXtending members upon the upper face of which the patterns may be secured. The head carries flask-clamps 7, substantially the ,same as those shown in Letters Patent No. 793,860, which, as set forth in that patent, will support the iasks when the head is inverted but which are so weighted that when the head is inverted and the flasks pressed, and they are thus relieved from the weight thereof, they will swing apart so as to leave the flasks free upon the platform in order that the head maybe raised leaving the flasks behind. Fs is a squeezing lever which is connected to a shaft F4 upon which are radial arms F5 connected by links F6 to the cross-heads F and F1, respectively. By this mechanism the head can readily be depressed, its weight being counter-balanced by weights F7 mounted upon extensions of the arms F5, as illustrated. The head is normally held inhits upright position by engagement of a pin f1 transversely movable in the cross-head F1 (Fig. 8). The otherA end of the pin f1 is actuated by a lever f2 pivoted to a bracket on the cross-head and adapted tobe moved by a cam f3 on a headreleasing lever f4 also. carried by the bracket lio ` on the cross-head. The end of the lever f2 beyond its pivot has a cam fx which is adapted to be engaged by a hinged leaf f5 upon the squeezing lever when the Squeezing lever is moving backward, the hinged leaf swinging'away so as not to actuate the cam when the squeezing lever is moving forward. When it isdesired to release the head the head-releasing lever is depressed and' thehead turned over by hand. The

cross-heads then brought down .inl anrfobviousmanner and upon the return of thesqueezing lever the rocking pin is again retracted to permit the head to be returned to position. y v

Referring to Figs. 23 and 24, the interior 1 construction of the rapper is illustrated. Its l communication will be open, through thev port 4 and the intake-port I2, to that end of th'e cylinder against which the piston rests. Centrally of the cylinder is an annular groove having communication lwith an exhaust-port I5, the port being so pro- .portioned that at the time when the intakeport is thrown into communication with one end of the cylinder by vone of the ports i",

the.other endof the cylinder is thrown into communication with the'eihaust-port I5 by -means of the ports 4 at the other end of the piston. The arrangement is obviously such that as long as compressed air is admitted to the rapper, the piston will shoot rapidly back and forth agitating the cylinder and the head' to which it is attached with the desired results. The means whereby air is admitted to the rapper may be varied to any extent whatever, the point being merely that automatic means shall be provided whereby just at the eXtreme lower-- most position vof the head this rapping action will take place.

In -thediagrammatic arrangement shown in Fig. 25, a valve I6 isshown 'communicatlng with and controlling the ingress to the rapper. This valveis -so arranged .as to be opened by contacting with a stationary part Of/the l, frame when the head reaches its v'lower position.- It will be evident that owing to'th .fact that" the head must be inverted a valve will preferably be carried by the cross-head--and lthat the' rapper will be connectedwith thejcrossfhead by means of a plpe lhaving av swiveled connection, such asis illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 25. y f The automatic headturning mechanism is best shown in Fig. 13. G is an air-cylinder pivoted to a yoke secured to the cross-head F. The piston of this cylinder is connected through suitable adjustable cpnnections with a shaft Gr1 to rock the Same. The shaft GrL has attached to it a radial arm G2 conhead. The admission ofcompressedairto the cylinder G when the head is in reversed position will through these connections tur-n thehead back to its norma] position in an obvious manner.

nected by a link G3 with apoint upon the *i Referring now to Figs. 1, 10 and 16, the

tion shown in dotted lines, so, as tobridge the space between the adjacent flask and its support upon the frame of the machine, thus preventing any sand falling upon the cross-head and the mechanism` carried thereby. The strike-off is propelled by the links H2 connected to its left-hand end at one end and at their lother ends to long radial arms H3 on a rock-shaftH?. 'The shaft H4 has a central crank H5 to which is secured the piston-rod H6 of an `oscillatory air-cylinder 1H', Air is admitted alternatively to the two ends of this cylinder through two three-wayl valves, h, h1 connected to the two ends thereof. These valves are actuated by means of a long arm h2 connected through the mediumvof a bell-crank lever h3 and a yrod 72,4 with a strike-olf operating lever [1.5.

The connections of the valve h., h1 are such that under all conditions one or the other is opening communication between its end of the cylinder and the source of compressed air, while the other valve is opening 1ts end of the cylinder to the atmosphere. rIhus when the operator pulls the strike-off lever forward, the strike-0E advances into proper position for the sand to drop through 1t I into the flask. When the strike-olf lever is pushed back, the setting of the lvalves 1s reversed and the strike-off instantly moves backward scraping. the sand to a smooth, even level on top of the flasks and sweeplng it into a hopper-.shaped chute whichdepos-` its it at the foot of the elevator. The ports are Varranged 4in an obvious manner in such a way that the movmg parts areto the greatest possible extent protected from sand, v

ordinary coverings of `metal or wood, not necessary to be here described 1n detail, being provided wherever necessary for this purpose. a v

Referring to 16 to 21 inclusive, the

construction of the moving platform and. 

